Jump Street spin-off Booker failed to create a Sam Spade for the ’90s

[TMC]

https://tv.avclub.com/jump-street-sp...pad-1845694681



Jump Street spin-off Booker failed to create a Sam Spade for the ’90s

In the late ’80s, Fox was trying feverishly to get its fledgling network off the ground, desperate to fill time slots and expand into seven nights of programming. So why not spin off one of its first real successes, 21 Jump Street, which featured an undercover squad of baby-faced detectives who tackled issues of the week at various high schools? In season three, sensing that breakout Johnny Depp’s star was ascending, Jump Street’s producers added Richard Grieco to the cast as Teen Beat backup Booker. Booker was a rebellious, motorcycle-jacket-wearing loner who hovered outside of the clique at the Jump Street chapel, his personality as pointy as his studded leather cuff. The former Elite model soon became Jump Street’s most popular cast member, his fan mail exceeding even Depp’s. So although the character was initially intended to be killed off at the end of the season, Booker wound up saving Depp’s Hanson, who was being framed for killing a fellow cop. Unfortunately in doing so, he broke about a million by-the-book rules (classic Booker). Facing a demotion to the microfiche library, the attractive hothead quit the force in Jump Street’s season-four premiere.

[Latka Gravas]

Never saw even one episode of Booker, though I remember when it was on & did see the ads for this.

The DVD set is currently OOP, and I've heard there are a lot of music replacements on that anyway. There seem to be some sites that are streaming the show, so I may check out a couple of episodes.

I know it ran concurrently with 21 Jump Street S04 (the 1989-1990 season).